Many of Emily Tinne's coats and other outdoor garments are made of fur. Real fur was widely used in fashionable dress during the 1920s and 1930s. Unlike today there was no debate about the ethics of using fur in clothing.

Despite having a wide range of expensive fur coats, she hardly ever wore any of them. Her family believe that she bought many of them during the Depression, so that Liverpool's poorly-paid shop assistants could receive the much-needed commission on the sale.